I woke up to this today.
And this.
And this.
Who need sunshine when they have this level of sweet in their house?
Category Archives: Home Improvement
The Kitchen Continued
We had a lovely weekend. For one whole day the sun came out. A whole day! Of sunshine! And no rain! It was heavenly. Of course, the grey sky and rain and cold dreariness is back but I will always have my memory of an entire day of sunshine. You can’t take that from me, Oregon! Ha!
Aside from basking in the sun and mowing the world’s longest grass, Kevin was hard at work on our poor neglected kitchen. We should be done by now but work and kids and life keep getting in the way. So this weekend, Kevin set aside a little time to work on my kitchen desk. The base cabinets are finished but the counter top is still a prototype as we fiddle with height and spacing requirements. But we’re getting there!
I can almost envision the final product. Just a tad more tweaking…. Don’t you think it’s looking so purdy?
A Few Pictures
Well, my parents are back in LA but they left behind them two very happy grandchildren and a beautiful kitchen. My dad noted how “lucky” it was that we just happened to have gotten our IKEA cabinetry delivered right before they came. Yeah, real “lucky” dad. No planning on our part at all. Nope. None.
Anyhoo, there were boxes of unassembled cabinets to be hung and my dad never could pass up a project waiting to go so he and Kevin began Phase II of the great kitchen remodel. As you may (or may not) recall, Kevin and I attempted Phase I and it wasn’t very pretty. It took a very very long time and involved many tense conversation about alignment and extra parts. Lets just say I was a little burned out on the whole process. But Elmo proved to have the fresh blood we needed to plow back into the mess. More importantly, it meant I could step back and let Kevin and my dad work together. This worked out very well.
Of course, I forgot to take a “before” picture but really, you aren’t missing much. Just picture generic oak cabinets, worn and very dingy. Then were promptly removed leaving a very large and empty wall. See Exhibit A.
Not so impressive, right? Well, demolition was the easy part people. It got much harder after that. There was hammering, aligning, squaring, lifting, grunting and all sort of labor like stuff going on. I’m a bit foggy on the details here because, well, I was out shopping. But I was here in spirit! Really! I can even prove it! See, here I am holding the entire microwave up with one hand while my dad and husband do other cabinetry stuff.
It was work I tell you, work! Ok, maybe there were a few screws helping me out there but I did help. Anyway, after they were all hung and the hardware attached and the microwave moved and the hinges damped and the sides installed and the molding leveled it looks something like this…
That seriously rocks, no? I’m in love love love with them. They are so white and purty. I could sit at my kitchen table, sipping coffee, and stare at them for hours. Not that I do that or anything. ‘Cause that would be weird, right? As you can see, the base cabinets are a hodge podge right now. That’s Phase III. I’m still staring right now. Where was I? Oh yes, along with these cabinets, my dad also finished up the ones over by the fridge. I can stare at these beauties for hours as well.
Ok, ok, I did a bit of staging and arranged the magnets but can you blame me? Again. Lots of loving of the cabinets going on. To try and give you the feel for it all, here’s a pull back shot. I just realized this is before hardware but I think you get the picture. Go ahead, grab a cup of coffee and graze with wonder upon my new kitchen. I know I do!
Kitchen Pics
Oh goodie! More pictures! These are from the kitchen remodel we are currently doing. Watch Elmo build a completely new kitchen with just a few clicks of the mouse.
Also, I have been told to watch the webcam today at 11am. I have a feeling Kevin is up to no good.
Re-Do
I scared Kevin yesterday. I should start by explaining about the carpet in our bedroom. It’s red. Not true red, more of a brick or maroonish color. It came with the house and is actually very new so we haven’t tried to replace it. Also, we’re rather lazy but I digress.
Now, I’m a big fan of dark blue so in our apartment (which had tan carpet) I went with a dark blue theme. The effect in our house is sort of, well, a clash. Dark red rug meets dark blue bed. Ick. Kevin, of course, didn’t mind. But then, color coordination is very, very low on his priority list. Right after changing the cat litter I think.
In a way, it’s Kevin’s own fault as he has begun complaining that our down comforter is just too hot for him. So this weekend, in a fit of energy, I decided to re-do the bedroom. Nothing major mind you, just a lighter blanket and new pillows. The basics. Now remember, we have that red carpet so logically, I had to pick something to match. What matches with dark red? That’s right, pink & white. However, Kevin has this thing about “girly” stuff so I went for a quilt rather then flowery. Nice geometric shapes, more white than pink really. Came home, made the bed up with the new colors and proceed to forget about it. That night, Kevin walks upstairs and I hear a “Whoa! Hey! What???” Turns out seeing the new bedding scared him. (That and the fact that the bed was actually made for a change.) Of course, he spend all night grumbling that it was too fru-fru and he felt like he was at his grandma’s house. Men. This is the same person who will wear stripes and plaids together and claim they match since they are both shades of blue. Gives me the shivers just thinking about it.
I don’t think he’s quite adjusted to it yet. He still gives the bed the evil eye every now and then. I think I’m gong to start putting my old dollys on it. That’ll teach him. {Insert evil laugh here}.